So how did this end up being my favorite post?! I hate puns so much I made a pun jar for the Tofugu office, so that every time one of these groan-worthy garbage words reaches my ears, other people have to pay for it. I attribute this to the fact that I'm forced to hear them all day every day (at home and at work). Kristen Dexter: If you know me, you know I hate puns. But this article talks about it all, and it even sprinkles in some punctuation history. I never learned what the wave dash ( пЅћ) жіўз·љ пј€ гЃЄгЃїгЃ›г‚“ пј‰ or the interpunct ( гѓ») дёй»’ пј€ гЃЄгЃ‹гЃђг‚Ќ пј‰ was, or that the circle period usually gets omitted if it's in a sentence with quotes. Of the few Japanese classes I've taken, no one ever focused on punctuation. And it didn't disappoint! жіўз·љ пј€гЃЄгЃїгЃ›г‚“пј‰ Wave dash ( пЅћ) The Art of PunctuationД¬arla Sinclair: I'm the kind of person who enjoys kicking back with a good ol' grammar book or style guide in hand, so when I noticed there was an article about Japanese punctuation, I couldn't wait to read it. Maybe I'm missing the point somehow, but at the very least the article got me thinking in a way I didn't before. And if that can be true of broken plastic, maybe it can also be true of other broken things too (arms or hearts, for example). The imperfection didn't ruin the object, it made it unique. Instead, I glued the sword back together, knowing the repaired break on the little plastic sword became part of that little plastic sword.

Usually, this is a big deal for a nerd like myself, but because of the wabi-sabi article I didn't get too upset. Figuarts deluxe action figure (yes, I like toys) broke in half shortly after I took it out of the box.

Instead, it gives you a foundation so you can start exploring the concept for yourself.ДЇor example, earlier this year the sword of my brand new S.H. It doesn't try to define wabi-sabi or put it in a box. Michael Richey: Wabi-sabi is one of those concepts you can't define вЂ“ not in a sentence, not in an article, not in a book. If you are looking for an atypical theatrical experience in Japan, one filled with action, suspense, romance, and great home cooked food, it is hard to not recommend the izakaya, where frog is stranger than fiction. I had a feeling we were going to be in for a hell of a ride. What is the narrative behind this guy's establishment? When I enquired about this, Koichi just gave a slight shrug. There must be something more to this,' I thought. But when Kagaya came up, Koichi nonchalantly described it as an izakaya run by a man in a frog suit who occasionally flips out and indiscriminately tosses random things at his customers. A few of the items were normal affairs, others were 'Japan-weird' normal. Viet Hoang: I remember the Tofugu team going over the itinerary on our last information-gathering trip in Japan. Kagaya Izakaya: Frog is Stranger than Fiction Also, I got to ask Aya to draw a doujinshi of Batman threatening to eat Robin, so that was pretty cool. In the end, I found I had a newfound appreciation for doujinshi and the people who make them. I also didn't understand the huge implications it has on the manga and anime industry. Koichi: Before this, I didn't know much about doujinshi culture. Japan's Doujinshi Culture Of Creativity Through Theft So without further ado, here are our Favorite Posts of 2016. With articles ranging from Shinto history to Japanese horror films, and badass Japanese women to another delicious Pocky Day, choosing the best was a bit of a challenge! But we were able to narrow our list down to 9 picks. It's that time of year again, when Tofugu celebrates the end of the year by selecting some of our favorite posts to share with you.

Fugu deaths 2016